This Week’s College: Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin (A College that Changes Lives)
The campus of Beloit looks like it’s covered with moguls, the kind you’d see if you went skiing on a black diamond slope. They are covered with snow in the winter, but on the lovely June day I saw them, they looked like some kind of strange, grass covered Indian burial mound. When I asked the tour guide what those mound things were she replied without missing a beat: “Oh, those are Indian burial mounds.” There are more than 20 of them spread over campus. They remain untouched out of deference to those who are buried beneath them, but for those of you interested in studying them, there’s plenty to be had at this small, outstanding, liberal arts college about 1.5 hours north of Chicago and equidistant from Milwaukee.
Beloit has several unique features that make its education especially worthwhile. Like all small liberal arts colleges there are the benefits of a close relationship with faculty, but Beloit, like many schools in the Midwest does away with a lot of the frippery of New England schools (I am a New Englander, I know from whence I speak). Professors are on a first name basis with students and every major has a lounge in the center of where the professors’ offices are. When professors are in, their doors are open. Students are encouraged to drop in and chat, ask questions, get help, or just have coffee (my former resident head from when I was in college is a history professor here and he loves this part of the job).
In addition to this, Beloit is a pioneer in a program called The Initiatives. This is a series of courses for the first four semesters where students are introduced to the skills and work of the liberal arts. Their First Year Initiative seminar does everything from introduce students to lucid writing, to teaching them critical evaluation skills, establish the kinds of collaborative learning and community learning expected of Beloit students, to connecting them to their advisor who will guide them until they declare a major. Students are taught everything they will need to know to be successful at Beloit and in life outside of Beloit through the Initiatives program.
All students at Beloit are required to complete a Capstone project and a Liberal Arts in Practice experience beyond the classroom. Both of these concepts require students to move beyond what they are comfortable doing in the classroom and see themselves in the world beyond. There is a student business incubator which can help foster some of this, and there is also a Liberal Arts in Practice center which helps students connect to experiences, internships, and more.
Finally, Beloit has two student run and curated museums on campus. The first is their Art museum which shows art from its collections, visiting shows and student work. The second is their Anthropology museum (this is why my son was gaga for this place) which has deep collections and which students can use both as a place to display their work or to examine artifacts in its collections.
So who applies to Beloit. Well, very few people from Virginia (my son being the exception). It’s cold. Winter is a lifestyle there, not a season, it’s true. But seriously, college is about the education, not about the tanning. The focus in admissions is on who you are, your record, your GPA, essay and letters of rec. It’s not on your test scores, and they are not a highly highly selective school (they take 70% who apply). But they are also might give you money if your profile is higher than their standard student. Sports at Beloit are DIII so you have a shot at playing (which is cool, really), and they do have Greek life for those who want it. Unlike most places, freshmen can have a car on campus, so that’s a nice thing.
Is Beloit for you? People there are honest and genuine. There is nothing at all stuck up, snooty or disingenuous about anyone at Beloit. There is an earnestness to Beloit that is pretty refreshing. So if you like people who are really straightforward, friendly, and open, these are your people. And if you want to hang with them and get a great education while you’re at it, this is your school.
Pros
Cons:
The campus of Beloit looks like it’s covered with moguls, the kind you’d see if you went skiing on a black diamond slope. They are covered with snow in the winter, but on the lovely June day I saw them, they looked like some kind of strange, grass covered Indian burial mound. When I asked the tour guide what those mound things were she replied without missing a beat: “Oh, those are Indian burial mounds.” There are more than 20 of them spread over campus. They remain untouched out of deference to those who are buried beneath them, but for those of you interested in studying them, there’s plenty to be had at this small, outstanding, liberal arts college about 1.5 hours north of Chicago and equidistant from Milwaukee.
Beloit has several unique features that make its education especially worthwhile. Like all small liberal arts colleges there are the benefits of a close relationship with faculty, but Beloit, like many schools in the Midwest does away with a lot of the frippery of New England schools (I am a New Englander, I know from whence I speak). Professors are on a first name basis with students and every major has a lounge in the center of where the professors’ offices are. When professors are in, their doors are open. Students are encouraged to drop in and chat, ask questions, get help, or just have coffee (my former resident head from when I was in college is a history professor here and he loves this part of the job).
In addition to this, Beloit is a pioneer in a program called The Initiatives. This is a series of courses for the first four semesters where students are introduced to the skills and work of the liberal arts. Their First Year Initiative seminar does everything from introduce students to lucid writing, to teaching them critical evaluation skills, establish the kinds of collaborative learning and community learning expected of Beloit students, to connecting them to their advisor who will guide them until they declare a major. Students are taught everything they will need to know to be successful at Beloit and in life outside of Beloit through the Initiatives program.
All students at Beloit are required to complete a Capstone project and a Liberal Arts in Practice experience beyond the classroom. Both of these concepts require students to move beyond what they are comfortable doing in the classroom and see themselves in the world beyond. There is a student business incubator which can help foster some of this, and there is also a Liberal Arts in Practice center which helps students connect to experiences, internships, and more.
Finally, Beloit has two student run and curated museums on campus. The first is their Art museum which shows art from its collections, visiting shows and student work. The second is their Anthropology museum (this is why my son was gaga for this place) which has deep collections and which students can use both as a place to display their work or to examine artifacts in its collections.
So who applies to Beloit. Well, very few people from Virginia (my son being the exception). It’s cold. Winter is a lifestyle there, not a season, it’s true. But seriously, college is about the education, not about the tanning. The focus in admissions is on who you are, your record, your GPA, essay and letters of rec. It’s not on your test scores, and they are not a highly highly selective school (they take 70% who apply). But they are also might give you money if your profile is higher than their standard student. Sports at Beloit are DIII so you have a shot at playing (which is cool, really), and they do have Greek life for those who want it. Unlike most places, freshmen can have a car on campus, so that’s a nice thing.
Is Beloit for you? People there are honest and genuine. There is nothing at all stuck up, snooty or disingenuous about anyone at Beloit. There is an earnestness to Beloit that is pretty refreshing. So if you like people who are really straightforward, friendly, and open, these are your people. And if you want to hang with them and get a great education while you’re at it, this is your school.
Pros
- Amazing freshman seminar program
- Student curated museums
- Brand new LEED certified Science building
- Indian burial mounds!
Cons:
- Wisconsin winters
- Small (1400 students)
- Indian burial mounds???